Reading 'cheating' on council cap - cheeky b*&^%8s
Discussion
Well, surprise , surprise, the council in Reading is increasing the local council tax by starting to charge for green bin (garden waste) collection.
My understanding was that central goverment had told the councils they were not to raise council tax this year. So Reading have sent out a letter to everyone today saying that THEY have managed to keep the council tax the same but will now be charging £22.50 a year to empty the garden wheelie bins.
Cheeky
s. So they've somehow decided that a service that was previously included in the council tax need no longer be included and should be paid for separately.
I wonder what the next 'service' are that will be hived off and have to be paid for as 'extras'?
Any other local councils doing similar or is it just Reading?
My understanding was that central goverment had told the councils they were not to raise council tax this year. So Reading have sent out a letter to everyone today saying that THEY have managed to keep the council tax the same but will now be charging £22.50 a year to empty the garden wheelie bins.
Cheeky
s. So they've somehow decided that a service that was previously included in the council tax need no longer be included and should be paid for separately.I wonder what the next 'service' are that will be hived off and have to be paid for as 'extras'?
Any other local councils doing similar or is it just Reading?
Our local council have reduced our tip hours from 8.00am til dusk 7 days a week down to 4 days and 10.00am .to 6.00pm.The bin contractors are doing a performance review for 6 months so guess that will change too after then
They don't charge here either and we have 3 bins.
They don't charge here either and we have 3 bins.
Edited by SPR2 on Thursday 24th March 00:05
Tycho said:
Tiggsy said:
cant you just stick it out with the rubbish? I just put a few bits of litter on top and add it to the 10+ bin bags I put out each week (wokingham council)
^ This. Also in Wokingham council area...Ozone said:
dreamer75 said:
If we dare to put garden waste in either our general rubbish bin, recycling bin or food waste bin (yep we have 4 in total), they will not take the bin and just leave it.
I have done this and we got a 'Contaminated Waste' sticker on our bin and they wouldn't empty it 
Tycho said:
Tiggsy said:
cant you just stick it out with the rubbish? I just put a few bits of litter on top and add it to the 10+ bin bags I put out each week (wokingham council)
^ This. Also in Wokingham council area...From April 2012 the following changes are being made in Wokingham:
1) Households will be issued with 80 official bags for normal household waste. No other bags will be collected & when you have used your 80 bags in a year that's it.
2) Free garden waste collection is being abandoned. You can either buy a brown wheelie bin for £60 PER YEAR or compostable plastic bags from the council. No other bags will be collected.
Read the FAQ pdf on this page. It's hilarious:
http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/rubbish/waste-changes/
Edited by Mr Pointy on Thursday 24th March 09:58
Mmm.. some interesting points in the replies.
Bonfires? - not really possible with grass cuttings is it which is the main content of my wheelie bin, enough to fill it every collection. I could burn off all the tree brachnes and stuff though when it's had a chance to dry out a bit.
Composting - yes, something to look at, I probably do have space in the garden to do it, I suspect that most people living in town won't though. But I'm not sure I want a dirty smelly compost pile in the corner of the garden somwhere, especially as I'm not likely to ever use it for anything, it's just gonna get bigger and bigger like the one I had in a rented house a few years back.
I've already had to buy the bin when I moved in, now I have to also pay for it to be emptied.
I could try and disguise some of the cuttings in my normal bin, but that's not really gonna help too much.
Anyways, the point of the OP wasn't really to ask how to get rid of the garden waste, I've got bloody loads of the stuff, far too much to fit in just a fortnightly wheelie bin, it's more around the smoke and mirrors letter saying that THEY, the council, were doing US, the residents, a favour by managing to keep the tax the same, whilst at the same time increasing the effective tax by starting to charge for a previously free service.
I fking hate politicians.
Bonfires? - not really possible with grass cuttings is it which is the main content of my wheelie bin, enough to fill it every collection. I could burn off all the tree brachnes and stuff though when it's had a chance to dry out a bit.
Composting - yes, something to look at, I probably do have space in the garden to do it, I suspect that most people living in town won't though. But I'm not sure I want a dirty smelly compost pile in the corner of the garden somwhere, especially as I'm not likely to ever use it for anything, it's just gonna get bigger and bigger like the one I had in a rented house a few years back.
I've already had to buy the bin when I moved in, now I have to also pay for it to be emptied.
I could try and disguise some of the cuttings in my normal bin, but that's not really gonna help too much.
Anyways, the point of the OP wasn't really to ask how to get rid of the garden waste, I've got bloody loads of the stuff, far too much to fit in just a fortnightly wheelie bin, it's more around the smoke and mirrors letter saying that THEY, the council, were doing US, the residents, a favour by managing to keep the tax the same, whilst at the same time increasing the effective tax by starting to charge for a previously free service.
I f
king hate politicians.Mr Pointy said:
Tycho said:
Tiggsy said:
cant you just stick it out with the rubbish? I just put a few bits of litter on top and add it to the 10+ bin bags I put out each week (wokingham council)
^ This. Also in Wokingham council area...From April 2012 the following changes are being made in Wokingham:
1) Households will be issued with 80 official bags for normal household waste. No other bags will be collected & when you have used your 80 bags in a year that's it.
2) Free garden waste collection is being abandoned. You can either buy a brown wheelie bin for £60 PER YEAR or compostable plastic bags from the council. No other bags will be collected.
Read the FAQ pdf on this page. It's hilarious:
http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/rubbish/waste-changes/
Edited by Mr Pointy on Thursday 24th March 09:58
b - as long as they take the black boxes weekly its fine. 90% of my 10 bags is stuff I'd recycle if it didnt mean having it sat in my yard for 14 days at a time. (they could be bigger though....stuff falls out they are so small)
c - as for garden stuff, i back onto open fields....prob solved
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